‘tis better to post something than nothing at all

I started this blog almost 4 years ago with the idea in mind that one day when I had kids it would be the perfect place to update everyone (i.e. grandparents) and store all of our pictures, stories, and memories. I started out with a bang and was so good about updating about the littlest thing that happened. Then life got busy as we welcomed our first pup into our home, and I started slacking on my updates--I went from 119 updates in 2009 down to 32 updates in 2010. Life got even busier as we welcomed our second pup into our home and my postings dropped from 32 down to 14 in 2011! And now, we have the most precious gift of all and I haven’t made a single post in 2012! 

Sometimes I don’t post because I feel like I have too much to catch up on between posts and I don’t have time to sit down and type out all of life’s happenings at once. Then there are times when I get lazy and don’t want to go all the way upstairs to post from my computer (I wish there was a way to post pics from my iPhone or my iPad because that’s where all my pictures are and I LOVE a post with pics!!). But alas, I have come to the decision (and made the New Year’s Resolution) that ‘tis better to post something than nothing at all :)

So here’s to an exciting year of postings—may they be frequent…whether or not they are in sequential order and with or without pictures ;)!

{This pic was taken Sunday after Papa dressed him!  Our big boy is growing so fast!}

A Friday Afternoon Pick-Me-Up

Need a little pick-me-up at the office?! I've got the perfect thing to spice up those long work days--especially on a Friday. I found a great website that streams all different kinds of music from the Internet to your PC. No, it’s not Pandora. And you don’t even have to have an account! Just go to this website, click “listen”, and spend the rest of your afternoon jamming to your favorite artists! I've been listening to Frank Sinatra, country music, and maybe a little holiday music too :). Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

I am PUBLISHED!

Well, maybe not published published, but I was asked to write a blog post for Southwest's blog, Nuts About Southwest. And guess what...it posted TODAY!

Check it out here: http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/in-true-southwest-fashion

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Nothing like a family vacation on the horizon to make the day DRAG by.

We leave for Palm Springs today after work and I couldn’t be more excited!!

And you know what the best part is about going on a trip…PACKING! I don’t know why, but I love to pack. I get some sort of satisfaction out of seeing how much stuff I can cram into my small suitcase. Then I run around the house bragging to Kelly. (Like he really cares. He thinks I have a problem.) But seriously, I love it.

I love it so much that this weekend when we were at my parents celebrating Mother’s Day, I helped my Mom get her bag ready for the trip. Exhilarating I tell you!

On a completely different note, I started the 30-Day Shred DVD this weekend! So far, I’ve done 4 days and I feel great! It’s only 20 minutes long, and gives you just enough energy to get your day started. Instead of hitting my alarm 3 more times, I just wake up when my alarm goes off and then get to work with the DVD. I’ve only lost a pound so far…probably water weight, but hey, I’m on the right track! I find myself eating better and feeling better throughout the day. So…I’ll keep you posted on how it progresses. (And yes, I’m taking the Shred DVD to Palm Springs. Hope there’s a DVD player at the condo…)

Well, I wish I had time to tell you all about my trip to Las Vegas last week. But I’ll have to fill you in on the LIVE Cher concert, laying out by the pool, dancing it up at PURE, meeting the Rapping Flight Attendant, and spending three whole days in casinos when I get back from Cali!

Until then, I hope you all have a great rest of your week and enjoy the weekend!

It's just one of those weeks...

You know what I'm talking about? Where you can't catch a break...no matter how hard you try? Well, that's how I feel this week. Don't get me wrong, I am BEYOND thankful that I have a job to go to, a place to sleep, a husband that loves me, and a dog that thinks I'm the worlds greatest for giving him a treat :)...so when I look at it that way, I don't have it so bad after all. But that doesn't negate the fact that my hair is still on fire!

So, even though I have a million things to blog about, here's are a few snippets I had a chance to jot down:

• Left the house on time and made it to work on time. Imagine that. Funny how an 8:30 am deadline can get you out of bed! (But I’m not a procrastinator or anything…)
• Still no update on our Oprah shows air date/time.
• Cooper can wear his big boy collar now and learned how to “lay” last night. Lots of celebrating going on at our house…you would have thought we won the lottery.
• Kinda sad Melissa from Dancing with the Stars wasn’t able to dance last night. I still voted for her.
• One week until Vegas!
• Two weeks and one day until Palm Springs!
• All the moisture in the air causing my skin to breakout…

OK, until I have more time to write...I'm signing off.

Hope everyone's day is calmer than mine!

Thoughts for the day...

I got an enlightening email from a friend today with some thoughts from Andy Rooney and I thought I'd share them with you. Here goes...

"I've Learned..."

.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

.... That when you're in love, it shows.

.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. (Can't wait to experience this one!)

...... That being kind is more important than being right. (I completely agree. Although, I probably need to remember it more often!)

.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. (Or to go shopping with.)

..... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

.... That money doesn't buy class. (Amen!)

.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. (Oh how I know this all too well!!)

.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile .

... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

... That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.

... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. (Ouch!)

... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

And on that last note...I'd better get busy!

Hope everyone's having a wonderful, enlightened day!

All caught up!

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating our Lord's resurrection and thanking him for his sacrifice on the cross! Kelly and I went to the early service at church (8:00 am!!) and then headed over to my parent's house for the traditional Easter lunch. I always enjoy eating my Mom's home cooked meals!! This time, I made the mashed potatoes and they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. But, then again, it's pretty hard to mess up mashed potatoes...

Boy does it feel good to get all caught up! This weekend has been a productive weekend in the O'Donnell household. I had Friday off (WOO HOO!!) and I spent most of the day getting our house back in order after our trip to San Diego (more on that in a minute.) I did the laundry and the dishes, swept the kitchen, vacuumed the living room, made the bed, unpacked the rest of Kelly's suitcase, and reorganized my suitcase for my next trip (also more on that in a minute.)

After my busy morning I took Cooper for a long run/walk. He's still getting the hang of walking/running with someone and not in front of someone but he always LOVES to go for a walk around the neighborhood. We headed to the park that was close by and even went a little further, almost making it to Bahama Bucks before turning around to head home. On our way back I decided to cut through the park and let Cooper off his leash to run around. Just as I unclasped his leash he sat down to scratch his ear and then sprawled out on the concrete, looking up at me like, "What Mom, I'm tired?!" I finally got him home and then he crashed out for the rest of the afternoon. I didn't want to wake him by opening the door, so here's a pic of him through the window. Such a sweet little love!

Friday afternoon I met up with my Mom and we did a little girl shopping and grocery shopping before heading home to have dinner with my family. Friday night, Kelly and I attended a "Service of Darkness" with my parents and brother at their church and then went back to their house for dessert. My Aunt Beth and Uncle Steve came over for a visit and they got to see Mr. Cooper!

Saturday Kel and I hit the gym (which was MUCH needed after skipping out for almost two weeks!) and then headed to the pool to take advantage of the beautiful weather. That afternoon we went to the mall to look around and then stopped in at On The Border for a yummy dinner. We rented The Boy in the Striped Pajamas from On Demand and snuggled up on the couch after a long day. For the first time in a LONG time, I stayed up to watch the whole thing and Kelly feel asleep. I don't know if that's EVER happened before.

And that brings us to today! After lunch with my family, Kel and I came home to catch up on our sleep (yeah for Sunday afternoon naps!) And now I'm wide awake and have caught up on downloading and uploading pictures and reading everyone's blogs (and I'm getting caught up on my blog, too!) One thing I do know, is the longer I wait to blog, the harder it is to get caught up.

One more thing I do hope we get to do today is follow through with this tradition!

Next Post: San Diego, CA!

There's a First Time For Everything...

...and today it's my first time to blog from my iPhone! (And best of all I'm sitting on the couch!)

This afternoon Kel and I are spending the day with my brother and parents at their house. We brought Cooper over to romp around in the backyard while we eat a delicious home cooked meal!

Coop loves to go to his grandparents house! My dad has "Cooper Proofed" the backyard that has ropes, toys, and a blanket back there for him to play with. (But he really spends most of the time in the flower bed :))

Well I'm signing off for now. Until next time...

Posted from my iPhone

Friday Afternoon Treat

Watch this video I got from my friend Maegan for a Friday afternoon pick-me-up! Yeah for the weekend!!

FINALLY some free time! (And Happy Valentine's Day!)

I have been horrible at updating my blog lately. Minus the Smartypants video (wasn't that cute!!) and a few "favorite" shout outs, I haven't had a chance to sit down, upload pictures, and recap whats been going on in our lives. I got out of my rhythm last week and I can't seem to find my motivation lately. But I finally have some free time to get caught up. So here goes...


I thought I had recovered from my week of traveling until I woke up Thursday morning feeling a little under the weather. It had been raining on and off earlier this week and that always seems to have an effect on my allergies. I don't really have allergies to speak of, so I must be allergic to the rain (ha!) That reminds me of a time when I once told Kelly that I thought being kissed in the rain would be so romantic, only to find out I react to the rain like its acid coming down (or so Kelly says.) I can't STAND getting rained on. But back to what I was saying...


Oh yeah, traveling. So I left for Baltimore last Tuesday morning. I was headed up there for a work trip - and that's mainly all it was. I thought we would get to see more of the city but we arrived late Tuesday afternoon and had some down time in our hotel rooms before we headed to dinner. We went to Tsunami, a yummy sushi place, for dinner (even though I really wanted to go have the famous crab cakes at G&M.) I was out numbered in votes. So we loaded up in the car and headed to Annapolis (about 20 minutes away from our hotel.) Mind you, I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it was now 6:00 pm and I was starving. If you know me well at all, you know I don't do well on an empty stomach. I was beginning to get cranky...but given that we were with strangers, I couldn't very well voice my opinion. So I tried my best not to have a complete come apart as we drove - for what seemed like FOREVER to our final destination.


Once we arrived it took us forever to pick something off the menu. (Again, I was STARVING at this point.) I'm not a HUGE sushi lover and I'm not really the adventurous type when it comes to eating seafood, or raw fish for that matter. (All I really wanted at this point was to drive through McDonald's and load up on their Big Mac and a large fry.) I patiently persevered through the appetizers (tempura shrimp and raw ahi tuna) for our main course which was some kind of spicy mustard roll. I downed about 8 of those rolls so fast I hardly had a chance to swallow. Much to my surprise, they were really tasty.


As we were finishing up with our meal, I went back for one last roll and that's when it happened. I lost control of the slippery little sucker, dropped it in my soy sauce bowl and causing the entire bowl to spill it's contents all over my jeans. "Great" I thought. And its only the FIRST night of my four day trip. What was I going to do? I had to wear those jeans again tomorrow night. Thankfully, one of the girls we were with lived in Baltimore and offered to take them home a wash them for me. What a saint!


But that still didn't get rid of the fact that I had soy sauce all over my pants, we weren't even finished with dinner, and we had a 20 minute drive back to the hotel ahead of us. Oh what a night.


Wednesday was a better day! I got ready and headed to the Baltimore Station with my boss, Ginger, to visit our Ground Operations department there in Baltimore. We got to sit in on some of their daily meetings and watch what happens when a plane lands. It was fascinating to see how they get the bags out of the plane, refuel, restock the provisioning items, load the next passengers onto the aircraft and prepare to push back - all in about 20 minutes! It was quite an amazing operation to witness. Our next stop was the LUV at First Bite luncheon for our new hires. Ginger was the keynote speaker at the lunch. This luncheon gives our new hires an opportunity to mingle with the leadership of our company and provides them the chance to ask questions and get to know those leaders that they might not have a chance to interact with otherwise.


After we finished with the luncheon, we headed back to the hotel for some down time, and got ready for the Message. That's the term we use when referring to the Message to the Field. The Message is when our CEO, Gary, speaks to our employees about the state of our company and where we're looking to head in the near future. He delivers six of these messages each year.


Once the message was over, Ginger and I headed to dinner with Gary and his entourage.

It was a very unique experience for me because at dinner I sat between Ginger, my VP, and Gary, our CEO. There would be NO spilling of the soy sauce tonight, that's for sure! I even had to share the dipping sauce for our bread with Gary. I told him not to double dip...he just laughed.

We headed back to the hotel to crash, only to wake up the next morning at do it all over again in Orlando! The 6:45 am lobby call came all to early on Thursday morning. I was already worn out from the trip.

In Orlando, we went to another LUV at First Bite luncheon, and then headed over to the Orlando People Department to see their new facilities. The "People Department" is what we call our recruiting/hiring department. We had a quick break back at the hotel and then it was time to get ready for the Message that night. Thankfully, about 5:00 pm that evening, Ginger said I didn't have to go to the Message if I didn't want to - so I called Elizabeth to have her come pick me up! I was planning to see Liz and her husband, Dalton, while I was in Orlando but it was only going to be for a few hours the next morning. This gave us the perfect opportunity to go to dinner and catch up! The next morning we woke up and took it easy around the house (which I was so thankful for!) and then we headed out for some afternoon shopping! I had to catch a flight that afternoon to head to El Paso, so we didn't have a whole lot of time to play, but I loved getting to see them for at least a little while.

Friday afternoon I headed from Orlando to El Paso to meet up with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to attend a Beth Moore conference. My very FIRST Beth Moore conference to be exact. I didn't get in until late Friday night, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed straight to the hotel to crash. Saturday morning as we headed to the conference I had no idea what to expect. I'd heard stories about how Beth Moore's bible studies have changed women's lives and that she is an amazing teacher, so my expectations were a little high. Within the first 5 minutes of the conference, those expectations were blown away! The music, by Travis Cottrell, was amazing! And Beth's authenticity and desire for everyone to know Christ and his Word was evident from the moment she took the stage. What an amazingly gifted speaker. Her talk this time was, "Don't Throw Away Your Confidence - There's Treasure in the Trash." It was wonderful! I was so moved by her knowledge of the Word and amazing memory for scripture. And oddly enough, this past Wednesday evening the women's ministry at my parent's church started the Beth Moore series, "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman" and I signed up for the class! It is definitely weird to be in a bible study class with women that have been my Sunday School teachers since I was young - but the bible study lesson is amazing nonetheless. I'm really looking forward to learning more about Esther over these next 9 weeks!

Well - that's a wrap! I'm off to enjoy Valentine's Day with my handsome husband!

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for updates and more pictures of our little pup!

Smartypants Dance!!

This little girl is so adorable, I couldn't help but post this video!!

Grab the Kleenex!

Check out this little girl and her AMAZING talent! She's only six years old!!

America's Got Talent Audition

Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"

Let's Play a Game!

Another creative/hilarious blogger I enjoying reading about is playing a game over on her blog and she invited me to play. OK, not just me, but anyone who wants to play. And you all know I LOVE to play games. This one reminds me of Scattergories...

If you wanna play along too, just leave a comment and I will assign you a letter. Then you post about it on your blog and list 10 things that you love that begin with your assigned letter. And you can assign letters to others... and it just goes on and on and on!!! I was assigned the letter "L" so here's my attempt at listing all the things I Love that begin with L. It shouldn't be too hard, right?! {Warning, these are in NO particular order. Except for the first one...}

1. LISTS! I love making lists {and even lists of lists!} Which is probably why this game is right up my alley!! I wouldn't be able to survive without my checklist at the office {or even in normal, everyday life.} I love the act of crossing something off, and have been known to write something down just to cross it off {waste of time? I think not!} It's so refreshing to know you've completed something. AND, the best part about writing it down and crossing it off your list, is that if you have to refer back to your old list later, you can easily see notes/comments/edits you made at the time. I use this A LOT at work. I have this awesome "writing tablet" {I would just call it a spiral notebook, but that is the category it fell under in the Office Depot catalogue} that had 3 different sections for your "to dos." One area is for voicemails, one is for tasks and the other is for meeting notes. LOVE this. And LOVE lists.

2. Listening to my iPod. I love to listen to my iPod, especially when I'm at the gym. However, I wish I had a better selection of music to listen to. I love to download new hits when they come out, but I have a tendency to overplay them. Like the time I overplayed "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield, or "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, or "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money. And while I cringe a little when these songs come on, I can't help but think of my carefree college days when we played these songs at almost EVERY event!

3. Laughing! I mean who doesn't love to laugh? Don't you just love it when you laugh so hard you cry {or maybe even snort?} I love to remember the times when I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Those are memories for a lifetime!

4. Laying out! There's nothing better than being sprawled out on a lawn chair by the pool on a hot summer's day. I guess that's what you should expect from a summer baby! I've always loved being a little fish in the summer and spending those lazy days soaking up the sun! Oh how I wish my job would allow me to lay poolside and still be productive. Although, on second thought, I don't miss jumping into the freezing cold water at 5:45 am during the summer! Boy I was dedicated. Which leads me to my next love...

5. Lifting weights and working out. OK, so I don't love the actual task of working out, but I love the way I feel when I'm finished. So why can't I be as dedicated now as I was when I was 15? I mean, I should totally be at the gym right now but instead I'm blogging. Which is another one of my loves, but it begins with a "B" :(

6. Licking the brownie bowl. Which is the very reason I need to implement #5 in my life! Licking the bowl could easily be the best part about making brownies. Forget the actual brownies themselves, I could eat the brownie batter all day long! Thanks Mom for always letting me lick the bowl :)

7. Long johns (a.k.a PJs)! I love pajamas! Pajama pants, night gowns, cheeky shorts, matching sets, you name it - I love it! You could give me pajamas for any occasion and I'd be a happy camper. I still have pajama pants that I wore in college that I just can't bring myself to throw away. My clutter-free friends would have a cow if they saw my pajama drawer. You can never have too many pjs!

8. Looking for a good deal. My Mom taught me to be a bargain shopper and now I find it rewarding when I stumble upon a good deal. I've been know to search all over town for the perfect price - and could even be crowned the "Queen of returns" if I find something similar for a better price somewhere else. Who wouldn't want a little extra cash in their pocket??

9. Lounging around. While I LOVE to keep myself busy running around town {looking for the perfect deal,} I also enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the couch with a good movie and a bag of popcorn. I really only need one or two of those days in a row - otherwise I'll get stir crazy and have to fill my time with something productive...like cleaning. YUCK!

10. Leaving on time! I am my father's daughter! We call my Dad "foot tapper" because he's always on time and ready to go! I love to stick to the schedule and if I leave on time, I don't have to be rushed whenever I get there {where ever it is that I'm going!}

So, now that you've seen my "L" list... do you want to play along?? Come on, it's fun!

Oh 4 Day Weekend...

...how I love you!

I have had the most wonderful time these past few days being lazy around the house, visiting with friends, running errands, and playing with the Coopster. I have to say, I'm thankful for the time to sit down and update my blog because I know tomorrow will begin another busy week around here! I'll give you a few updates on Coop (and FINALLY share some updated pictures) and then fill you in on what's been going on in real life while we've been busy with our pup. (Even though our pup is our real life now :) )

We'll start at the beginning.

Friday
I was able to sleep in a little Friday morning and then I got up to play with the pup! Kel and Thad were busy building Cooper's dog house ALL day (more on that later) and so I called Mom and we headed out for our much needed first manicure of 2009! She brough over a few new toys for Coop. Take a peek:

We ran a few other errands and then it was time to head home. Friday night Kel, Thad, and I met up with Wes, Brandye, and Kathy to see Revolutionary Road. Horrible movie. (Sorry if I just ruined it for you.) After the movie we grabbed some ice cream, chatted awhile, and then called it a night!

Saturday
Saturday morning we took it easy and the boys worked on the dog house some more. (See a pattern here?) Coop and I went for a walk and then crashed on the couch for an afternoon nap! That night we were planning to go to Wes and Brandye's new house to hang out with the whole crew, so I needed to make some brownies to take with us. Just when I thought Cooper was sound asleep on his bed, I made a break for the kitchen to get a head start on the baking. About halfway through the brownie making process I heard a large crash in the living room and ran to see what happened. This is what I found:

My seven week old pup had jumped up on our ottoman/coffee table and managed to curl himself up in a ball in our drink tray. When I yelled "uh oh Cooper" he sat up and gave me this "I didn't do it" look! (He's not quite domesticated yet, Kendall :)) I finished my brownies in time and we headed over to hang out with the crew. Everyone was in town and it was nice to get to hang out as a big group like the old days! We cooked hamburgers out on the grill and then played Wii boxing until we were sore! Here's Wes taking a stab at boxing:

In the picture you can see Ryan's leg, Kathy, Chasen (Clay's girlfriend), Clay, Kelly, Brandye (with a baby on the way), and Thad. Here's another view of the group (can you see Cooper?):

(And I have to say, I'm proud of myself for taking more photos! Yeah 2009 Resolutions!!)

Sunday

We headed back to Wes and Brandye's neck of the woods to go to church with the crew and ate lunch at their house. Kathy made us YUMMY Chicken 'n Dumplings which was perfect for a cold winter day! That afternoon we headed home around 2 so I could go pick up Jen for some much needed girls time! Our first stop was Centennial Medical Center in Frisco to see our friend Rachel and her brand new baby!

Jaxson James New

Arrived: Saturday, January 17, 2009

8 lbs. 15 oz

20.25"

He was/is absolutely precious! Mom and baby were doing great and had TONS of visitors to welcome him into this world! What a little miracle! After the hospital, we headed to Chuy's for some yummy Mexican food and margaritas! It was so nice just getting to chat and catch up! Sometimes emails just won't cut it for us!! After dinner we headed home and then it was off to another movie for Kel, Thad, and me. We saw Frost/Nixon and really enjoyed it. I did fall asleep during some of it, but for the most part (or the part that I saw) it was a good movie!

Monday

This morning I went for a run and the most tragic thing happened. My iPod died. Not just died, like lost power, it froze and wouldn't do ANYTHING. No rebooting, restarting, recovering. No nothing! I was a little worried (and had even started picking out the next color iPod I was going to buy) but was pleased when I plugged it into my computer and it came back to life. (Darn) I mean WOO HOO!

The boys have STILL been working on the dog house (I think they're almost finished), and Virginia came over to play with Cooper! It has been such a beautiful day to play outside. We wore him out though and had to come back inside to rest! Here are a few pics of our growing boy:

I can hear the boys putting the final touches to the dog house and then we're heading over to Jan's house to have a "play date" with Cooper's litter mates! Should be fun (and I'm sure I'll have more pictures to post later!)

Also, check out the "Our Life in Pictures" section for more up-to-date photos. I hope to be updating that section more often!

OK, I thought I said I was going to be better about blogging more, not blogging LONGER! Goodness! Thanks again for stopping by!

Will you make it to Valentine's Day?

No, not to celebrate the love filled holiday with your "love bug," "pookie pie," or "sugar plum." But will your New Years resolutions make it to Valentine's day? According to The New York Times, four out of five individuals that make New Year's resolutions will break them, and a third of us won't even make it past January. (Another statistic I heard was that our resolutions won't make it past Valentine's day.)

Well, I have to say, without the support from those around you, it can get pretty tough after weeks of working out and eating right with still no signs of success. Well, I'm not going to sit by and watch my resolutions turn into wishful thinking. I'm going to make every effort to stick to my goals.

This year has been the year to get fit! (Yes, I know it's only January 7th, but still... that's the goal.) My whole family is back on the "plan" counting their points, working out, and watching the portion control. My mom joined Weight Watchers and has been sending me some pretty amazing recipes, so I thought I would share some of them with you. And hopefully by blogging about yummy looking, low-cal food, I might actually be inspired to cook a substantial meal (this probably should have been one of my resolutions - cook more.) I also think I'll share some tips on healthy snack foods (or maybe just food in general) worth looking into.

I'll start with today's favorite food: Nabisco's Cream Cheese and Chives Wheat Thins. Can you say DELISH?! They taste just like a Sour Cream and Onion chip! Try to exercise some restraint when opening the box, you'll want to dive right in! Pair them with a wedge of light Laughing Cow Cheese and you've got a great afternoon snack!

Enjoy!

What goes up...must come down!

For the next three days, I will be undoing everything I worked so hard at getting "just right." It's time for the unwelcome task of taking down the Christmas decorations. I have to admit, this task is here a little early this year, however, I need my house in normal working order before my life as I know it gets turned upside down. On the to-do list today (and tomorrow, and the next day) :

• Workout
• Run a few remaining errands
• Pack away Christmas wrapping supplies {which is currently taking over our study}
• Wrap and put up all my holiday platters, snowmen, stockings, tree skirt and holiday decor
• Disassemble garland on the banister {and find additional storage space for it somewhere}
• Remove ornaments, lights and bow from the Christmas tree {I'll have to wait until Kelly gets home to take the Christmas tree downstairs}
• Pull up all the Christmas lights in our front yard and attempt to squish them back in the original box they came in {unlikely that this will actually work}
• Cram, shove, jam, squish, etc. everything Christmas related into our tiny upstairs closet! {But hey, I'm thankful we actually have the storage space for it all this year. Last year I had to make it all fit in the ONE closet Kelly and I shared in our tiny 890 sq. ft. apartment.}

A few other fun things I'd like to indulge myself in are:

• Catch the re-run of the season premier of The City {see my previous post}
• Watch The Sound of Music, start to finish, for the first time ever!*
• See White Christmas for the first time ever!
• Cook a good, wholesome, healthy meal for my husband {which I rarely ever do!}
• Get my car washed {it's beginning to look embarrassingly white trash!}
• Post pictures from the two photo shoots with Cooper

* For whatever reason, The Sound of Music has been the topic of several conversations I've had lately. At the office yesterday afternoon...during lunch with some co-workers...at the gym last night with my Mom. I don't know if it's because it was just on TV or if it is a holiday must-see, but I am definitely going to check it out!

Speaking of holiday "must-sees," Kelly and I made it to all of the blockbusters at the movie box this year!

• Weekend before Christmas - Seven Pounds
• Christmas Eve - Slumdog Millionaire
• Christmas Day - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Day after Christmas - Valkyrie
• Weekend after Christmas - The Spirit* and Marley & Me

* Kelly watched The Spirit while I was frantically reading the final chapters of Marley & Me. It was a good thing Santa brought us movie tickets this year :)

Well, I'm off to get started on my many lists of things to do! I'm sure I'll be back later with updates on my progress.

Have a great day!!

Learning Curve Con't.

Ok, so I have an update to my learning curve! Although my Pull-Apart Coffee Cake was a visual disaster it actually turned out to be very delicious!

Sooo delicious, that I decided to try my hand at a new recipe again! This time I made the famous Apricot Pastries for Rachel's Family Baby Shower. It was a three day process that included making the pastry dough made from scratch, but I have to say - the result was a HUGE success (to the eye AND to the tummy!) Several people even asked for the recipe, which is a great sign!

See, don't these look scrumptious?!

I've been Tagged

Writing everyday in a row until the end of November is a tough challenge! At least, for me it has been! I now know what it feels like to have writer's block!

I was tagged by Lindsay and it has taken me two days to finish my list! Here goes...

7 Things I Want To Do Before I Die...
1. Be the woman, wife, and mom that I know God wants me to be. (Lindsay wrote this, but I COMPLETELY agree!!)
2. Train my children to grow up and be followers of Christ
3. Travel all across Europe
4. Learn how to be a great cook
5. Slow down and cherish the moments with family and friends
6. Go to Hawaii
7. Have tons of family traditions

7 Things I Can Do...
1. Bake! I love baking!
2. Eat sushi. Ok, some sushi. Ok, ok, I can eat California Rolls and an “On the Border” roll.
3. Laugh until I cry!
4. SHOP! Especially for good deals
5. Eat a whole batch of brownies!
6. Find every excuse under the sun not to go to the gym!
7. Organize, Organize, Organize!

7 Things I Can Not Do...
1. Make beautiful bows for packages like my mom and GG can!
2. Cook like my mom
3. Sew
4. Laundry. Well, it’s not that I can’t do it; it’s that I HATE doing it.
5. Resist Chocolate. I’m a chocoholic.
6. Drive a stick shift
7. Run. I mean, I can run, but I can’t run for very long and Kelly says I run funny.

7 Things That Attracted Me to My Hubby
1. His smile!
2. His cute little butt! I tell him all the time he has the cutest tush!
3. His tender heart
4. His passion for children
5. His sense of humor. He is always making me laugh!
6. His love for his family and friends
7. The way he can make my heart melt!

7 Things I Say Most Often
1. I love you/I love you, too
2. Babe!
3. Are you hungry? (Really meaning, I’m hungry, can we eat now?!)
4. Southwest, this is Natalie.
5. BUSTED!
6. I have a headache*
7. My stomach hurts*
* Kelly says that I’m always complaining about a headache or that my stomach hurts

7 Celebrity Crushes... (well, they're not technically crushes, but they are celebs I'd like to meet)
1. Carrie Underwood (LOVE her!)
2. Jennifer Aniston
3. Reese Whitherspoon
4. Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth (The voices of Wicked!)
5. Billy Crystal (For a good belly laugh)
6. Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks (What a great pair!)
7. Katie Holmes

It doesn't seem like it would be that hard... but you try it and see!

7 People I'm Tagging...
1. Life with the Lipmans
2. The New Family
3. Meet the McCradys
4. Keeping up with the Shacks
5. My Thoughts, My Joys, My Life
6. The Stoy's Story
7. Paige's Pages

In keeping with the "Thanksgiving" theme: Today, I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday!

Dear Swiffer WetJet...

... I love you!

This litte miracle allows me to be thankful for a clean house!

What are you thankful for?

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT week?! I can't!!

Before I realize it, I let weeks go by without stopping to think, "I have so much to be thankful for!"

There's no better time than the present to stop and ask ourselves this very question. So as you're sitting there reading this blog (probably bored to tears, for lack of something better to do) really think about what it is that you're thankful for this holiday season. Be sure to leave a comment with a list of your blessings.


I'll start us all off... I'm thankful for:
- Christ, my king!
- A loving, devoted {and sometimes quite comical} husband
- My wonderful family that is always willing to lend a helping hand
- Rekindled/lifelong friendships
- A job {especially in this job market}
- My cozy house {yet sometimes really chilly thanks to the crisp in the air}
- My health {and access to a gym to keep me in good health - although I need to use it more often!}
- Yummy food {especially if they are my favorite old family recipes}

This list isn't complete, but it's all I have time for right now. As I continue to take on the challenge of NaBloPoMo, and try to post daily for the remainder of November, I will continue to list out the many blessings I am thankful for!

Don't forget to leave a comment with your list! (You don't have to be a blogger to leave a comment, anyone can do it!)